It is not known who created the mural at the derelict building in Hockley, Birmingham.

It depicts Ali standing over Sonny Liston during their second, 1965 world title fight.

There was also a butterfly image inspired by the three-times world heavyweight champ’s catchphrase “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

The mural appeared at the Muhammad Ali Community Centre shortly after Ali’s death at the age of 74. He had battled Parkinson’s Disease for years.

A Banksy style tribute to boxer Muhammed Ali

The theft is a body-blow for the facility’s owners, the Kajans Women’s Enterprise community group, who had planned to make the artwork centrepiece of the building when it is revamped. They reported the theft to the police on Friday.